Sustainability Technology & The Evolution of Smart Cities

Category: Energy/Water & Waste Management

Sustainability issue – energy and renewables

Electricity is the backbone of development. Nevertheless, the current gird is firmly based on fossil fuels. additionally the grid’s design is decades old. If we wish to successfully transition to a cleaner and smarter grid and mitigate climate change we need innovative solutions…

The solution – hydro-micro grid

LucidEnergy is an American company based in Portland that creates hydro-turbines for municipal water pipes.

Many cities receive their water from remote and elevated locations. When gravity “powered” water flows towards a city, strong pressure (i.e., water speed) builds up in the pipes – LucidEnergy harnesses this power by installing pipes with an intergrated micro-turbine.

The system is scalable and can generate between 18kw to 100kw based on the diameter of the pipe system and the flow rate.

The power generated can be sold to a 3rd party (e.g., a utility company via a P3). Anticipated return over the investment is 10 years.

The solution has been tested successfully in Portland, Oregon and Riverside, California.

The company is currently working on the 2nd generation of its LucidPipe turbine design, “which will significantly increase power output, operate across a wider range of pipe sizes and flows and significantly reduce capital cost”.

Stakeholders

Municipalities

Water utilities

Electric utilities

Army bases, universities and any entity that owns its own water (pipes) infrastructure

Implementation

Step 1 – The company should finish developing LucidPipe 2.0

Step 2 – The company should begin partnering with municipalities and key stakeholders – first as pilots then as contracts.

Step 3 – The company should expand its operations, ideally to countries that are undertaking a lot of infrastructure projects (e.g., China and India) and look into the possibility of opening manufacturing facilities there.

Sustainability problem

Water security (both quality and quantity)

The problem

Water is not only necessary to survive, but it is also a fundamental building block of a decent quality of life. Nevertheless, nearly 800 million people do not have water security (link). Fresh water, which includes safe drinking water, account for less than 4% of all the water of the plant (link). Moreover, these water bodies are localized and accesses to them is limited. In short, there is an urgent need for potable water in many parts of the world. On the other hand, air is very abundant….

The solution – Water from air!

Water-Gen is a Israeli company that produces a line of Atmospheric Water Generators (AWGs) and de-humidifing products.

The units only require electricity to operate. The company’s largest generator can produce up to 6,000 liters per day. Standard operating conditions are 26.7°C and 60% Relative Humidity.

The company claims its solutions are ideal for cities in developing countries and has identified 12 cities (ranging from Jakarta, Indonesia to Salvador, Brazil) that can greatly benefit from the technology, which can be integrated into existing buildings,

One of the nice features about the water generators is that their optimal operating period (when humidity peaks) is at night (when electricity demand is low).

Stakeholders

Individuals in developing countries with poor access to water

Individuals in developed countries who live in areas with contaminated water (e.g., Flint, Michigan)

Army and Science facilities that are “off the grid”.

Implementation

Step 1 – Partner with cities, organizations and countries that are in need for humanitarian aid for pilot programs to increase public awareness.

Step 2 – continue to improve the product and make it more “renewable energy friendly”, which will increase its attractiveness for communities with poor access to electricity.

Step 3- Expand operations and open additional factories that will allow the company to reach economies of scale, which will lower the product’s price.

Sources

Thats is a very cool idea with great potential. I hope that the company will be able to cheaply produce enough “silk” and have a global presence so that they will be able to bring about a real change.

Two things stand out to me in this technology: 1) Is the farming of the planets the company extracts sugar from sustainable and are these plants widely available? 2) Can the company bring the technology to a sufficient scale so that it can “move the needle” and meaningfully make the apparel industry more sustainable?

1) Sustainability Problem:

In 2014, in the United States, about 258 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste were generated. (EPA.gov) In addition to the environmental impact of the waste itself, the waste has to be hauled and carted to landfills or recycling facilities. This is performed by heavy-duty trucks which produce significant pollution per mile.

Category: Energy/Water & Waste Management

2) Technology Summary:

Route optimization software can ensure that fleet operators are driving the minimum necessary distance to efficiently pickup and deliver waste to the appropriate intermediate facility.

From the article:

Joe Burkel, vice president of digital operations and process improvement at Republic Services, estimates that a one percent reduction in total fleet miles traveled can save more than 631,000 gallons of fuel. The carbon emissions savings from that would be equivalent to removing 1,400 cars from the roads, he says.

Blue Ocean Gear, a participant of the Ocean and Clean Technology Program in Nova Scotia was selected as a round one winner for the Blue Solutions Startup Challenge. The company focuses on making smart commercial fishing gear that minimizes wild life entanglements and energy savings for boat operators by providing them with real time data on catches and equipment. This benefits all the stakeholders involved such as the operators, fisheries, environmentalist, consumers and governing agencies. The technology is fairly simple and off the shelf, and has already been deployed in the industry. It works by having the gear trap cages send a signal up to the buoys that they’re full and then a signal is sent to the operators via an app. This allows for the operator to save on fuel cost by not having to blindly travel to pick up possibly empty cages. The gear also notifies operators of possible marine life entanglements so that could alert the proper rescue agencies to save the wildlife. Another feature is that the gear provides retrieval information data for lost gear which saves on lost gear costs.

By Octavio Franco

Reply to Pablo Mandiola’s “Elevated Bike Path to Fight Congestion”

This is an interesting concept that has been adopted in the past for buses and light rail congestion in some cities. I’m not certain what the data suggested concerning its success or failure, but it seems like a good solution.

Sustainability Problem: Food production will continue to be an exigent issue tied with population growth. The development of greenhouses has been revolutionary, but they are expensive to install and operate. Soliculture provides a sustainable solution that creates clean energy and optimizes growing practices.

The LUMO technology commercialized by Soliculture and Solaria Corporation utilizes the Wavelength-Selective Photovoltaic Systems (WSPVs) to enhance light quality by converting green light to red light. The optimized light spectrum enhances power production from the solar panels and facilitates plant growth. Other features are as follows:

“This is an innovative technology that building contractors should really think about when equipping shower heads in accommodation units. The technology does not only saves water but also saves money through savings on water/utility bill. The website even has a feature to count your annual savings!”